Cigarette



July. 15, 1930. o. v. EAN 1,770,616

CIGARETTE Filed July 23, 1926 IN VEN TOR.

@du 7414A,- -BYAQMLU www A TTORNEYS.

l Patented July.15, 1930 PATENT OFFICE:

. TH() V. KEAN, 0F PROVIDENGE, RHODE ISLAND CIGARETTE Application led l'July 28,

This inventionl relates to improvements in smokers articles, and more particularly 1n some of its details it relates to improvements in cigarettes, cigars, or the like.

It is the general object of the invention to provide an improvedV arrangement whereby falling or scattering ofl ashes, sparks, coals and similar refuse incident to smokin cigarettes, or the like, is minimized and t e ob'. jeectiouable features thereof eifectually avoided.

A further object is to provide an improved wrapper or enclosure for cigarettes, or the like, which will -effectually retain ashes, l

16 sparks and the like and prevent undesirable scattering thereof during smoking', or when the cigarette is laid down, thereby avoiding soiling, burning. or otherwise damaging the clothes of the smoker or other objects and 20 lessening the danger of starting fires.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved wrapper, container or enclosure for cigarettes, and the like, which will retain the ashes and prevent scattering of ashes or sparks, while at the same time providing for an adequate supply of air to the burning part of the cigarette to support com-v bustion.

yStill another object of the invention is to provide an improved wrapper or enclosure for cigarettes, or the like, `for permitting passage of air therethrough to the burning part of the cigarette so as to support combustion while retaining unimpaired, the normal draught from the coal through the cigarette.

Other objects will be in part vpointed out in the following detailed description of several illustrative but preferred embodiments of the invention, and will be in part obvious in connection therewith. Y v

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the fea-- tures, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims. f' f For a more complete understanding of the nature and objects of the invention refer.

ence is had to the following detailed descrip- 1926. Serial No. 124,345.

tion and to the accompanying drawings, in which Y Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a cigarette construction embodying the invention, parts bein broken away and shown in section to facilitate the disclosure. Fig. 2 is -an enlarged transverse section iken .approximately on the line 2-2 of ig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged elevation, `|50 parts being ,broken away and shown-in section to facilitate disclosure. v Fig. 4 is a transverse section similar to Fi 2, but showing a modication. Y Y Fig. 5 isaview similar to Fig. 3,`but show- B5 in a modified form ofthe invention'.-

ig. 6 is a view similar toFig. 3 showin another modiiiedform of the invention, an

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of still an other modified forni of the invention. 70 Referring now to the drawing for a cle-- tailed description ofthe several illustrative embodiments of the invention there shown,

`and first to the embodiment of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a cigarette is shown which may be of standard size and 'shape and having a filler '11 of tobacco or similar smoking material. The tobacco employed may be of any preferred grade o r brand. Instead of covering the cigarette with paper, 'as is customarily done, 80 a wrapper or enclosure 12 is provided being made of a material which is resistent to combustion so that the tobacco burns without burning or iljdestroying the covering. This covering or enclosure may be tubular of any desired sectional contour, and is sufficientlyv stili and rigid to be self-supporting when the tobacco is burnt away, so as to -maintain its tubular form and to retain and support theI ashes after the tobacco is burned ,that is, the 90, enclosure 12 retains substantially its original shape and dimensions after the tobacco is burned away, leaving a tubular shell which' functions as a receptacle or retainer for the ashes to prevent falling or scattering thereof,

and to prevent falling or scattering of sparks,

coals, and other similar refuse of combustion.

The enclosure 12 may, in practice, be -constructed of diierent materials to accomplish the above mentioned and other useful functions, but a metal foil such as aluminum foil isfound to be ver eilicient and satisfactory. The metal foil wi l ordinarily be very thin, but of sudicient stiffness and rigidity to maintain its shape after the tobacco has been burned away so asto accomplish the functions mentioned. (In the drawing the foil is shown of magnified thickness relatively to the general dimensions of the cigarette, in l, orde; to facilitate disclosure of the. structure. i For the purpose of su plying air to sup'- port combustion of the acco, the covering or enclosure 12 is provided with apertures 13 u therethrough and being distributed over the surface thereof-in closely spaced relation. The apertures may be of a size and number to supply the necessa amount of air to support combustion. an will ordinarily n be distributed over the entire surface of the enclosure lying adjacent to the tobacco which is to be consumed during smoking. There may be an imperforate length or vzone 14 of themclosure 12,extendingfor adistance from u the butt or mouth-piece end of the cigarette, and corresponding ap roximately in len h tothestuborbutt, wich will be discs d after smoking the cigarette. A suitable tip orcov 15 of cork or similar heat insulatag ing material preferably surrounds the impertorate end of the cigarette, providing a suitable mouth-piece.

The apertures 13 of the enclosure 12 are nalad by a sealing medium or substance, 3| which is preferably applied to the enclosure fod in the form of a coating or layer 16 over the entire area of the perforations. The sealouting' ma baa liedtotheinnersureoftheenc chblolsr 'oritmaybeapliedto www a in rhfalamaraltoaaalallofthei 'vidual lpmto of air. The sealing substance is heat solo or heat removable, that l tly of the burning tobacco,l whereby litis removed only by the heat generated by the burning tobacco. and not by its own indnpendentcombustion. Other substances, auch asalummum paste, may be utilized as a sealing medium for the apertures 13. Both I starch and aluminum y pastos are odorless, I6 timeless and harmless to the smoker.

' soastolienextto 'ec removing by the action of the. heat said vburn-- A cigarette constructed as above described may be lighted in the ordinary manner, the heatof the lightin medium unsealing the apertures 13 at theighted end of the cigarette permitting air to pass freely through the oraminous or porous surface of the enclosure 12 so `as to sup ort combustion of the burning tobacco. As t e smoking'progresses the burning art of the cigarette advances along the bo y thereof, and the heat generated unseals the apertures progressively in the vicinity ofthe advancing coal. Air can thus be continuousl supplied to sup rt combustion ofthe urning tobacco, w ile the parts of the enclosure in advance of the vcoal remain sealed so as to prevent passa e of air therethrough' the draft through t e cigarette is thus confined to pass through the bumi'ng part of the cigarette to the mouth piece end. The unsealing of the perforations its original tubular shape after the tobacco has been burned, thus providing a receptacle or retainer for the ashes, and preventing the ashes, coals, sparks, etc., from falling or being otherwise scattered or blown by the wind. Thus soilin burning, or otherwise dama ing the clot es of the smoker or other o J ts and also other inconveniences and discomforts, are avoided.

The enclosure 12 may be provided at the outer end of thecigarette wlth an inturned annular Hangs 17, to aid in retainin the ashes Within the tubular shell. This ange may be provided with Ventilating perforations 13, functioning in a manner similar to that of the perforatlons of the tubular walls of the enclosure.

The adjacent longitudinal edges of the enclosing 4foil 12 may be over-lapped and secured together by an adhesive, as shown in Fig. 2, or they may be provided with interengaging or inter-locking rolled edges 18, as shown in Fig. 4.

By means of the improved cigarette construction above described it will be seen that the disadvantages of paper wrappers may be entirely avoided.

In Fi 5 of the drawing a modified form of the invention is disclosed in which the covering or enclosure 1f. of the cigarette is similar to that above described. and may be constructed of :i similar material and provided with similar Ventilating apertures 13. In this case, however, instead of cn'iploying llt) j In.

- complete preformed cigarette.

the sealing paste for closing the apertures, an outer covering or Wrapper, 19, of the cigarette is utilized for sealing the apertures. This covering 19 may be the ordinary paper cigarette wrapper or it may be constructed of tobacco leaf. In either case the covering contacts with the inner surface of the enclosure 12, thus sealing the apertures 13. As the wrapper 19 is burned during theA progress of smoking, the Ventilating apertures are unsealed in a manner similar to that above described, thus providing for the supply of the' necessary amount of air to support combustion.

According to the modification of the invention as shown in Fig. 6, the enclosure or covering for the cigarette is made of a light, fine wire mesh 20. This wire mesh 20 entirely surrounds the tobacco of the cigarette as in the modifications already described, and the sealing paste',it is obvious that the sealing may be accomplished by means of a wrapper ofpaper or tobacco leaf, as in the modification of Fig. 5. An inturned annular fiange 22 of the wire mesh may be utilized to retain the ashes while smoking in a manner as described above in connect-ion with flange 17.

1 The mesh container, or covering of Fig. 6 may be of a fibrous material, such as wood or vegetable fiber, treated by any preferred known method to render it combustion resistant or fireproof.

A modification of the invention is shown in Fig. 7 in which the enclosure for the cigarette takes the form of a tubular holder 23, which is preferably of thin metal, but sufficiently stiff and rigid to support and to per-- mit repeated insertion and removal of 4complete cigarettes. This tubular holder is'provided with a multiplicity of small apertures extending through the Wall thereof and functioning as Ventilating apertures 24for supplying air to the burning cigarette, as described above. The holder tube 23 is preferably slightly shorter than the ordinary Thus, when a cigarette 25 is inserted to abut at one end against the end wall 26 of the holder, the opposite end of the cigarette projects slightly from the holder, as indicated at 27.

A mouth-piece 28 telescopically receives and supports the tubular holder, as shown in the drawing. lVhen thus assembled the projecting end 27 of the cigarette contacts with the inner surface of the restricted passage-way through the mouth-piece so as to provide a seal at thisv point, thus causing the air currents to pass through the tobacco of the cigarette to the aperture of the mouthpiece. Wvhen the cigarette is assembled in the holder, as shown and described, the wrapper 29 contacts with or lies closely adj acent to the inner surface of the holder 23 lso as to act as a seal for the ,apertures 24 until the cigarette is consumed by smoking. Sealing andunsealing of the apertures are thus r accomplished as in the case of the embodil ment of the invention shown in vFig;v 5, and the results accomplished aresimilar to those accomplished by means of the other modifications already referred to. In the present embodiment, however, it is unnecessary that the apertures be tightly sealed by the wrapper 29, since the latter functions to confine the. draft through the cigarette from the burning'end to the mouth-piece; but the apertures 24 willv supply air to theicigarette at the burning point so as to prevent going out. It will also be seen that the seal betweenfthe outer end of the cigarette and the inner conical surface of the mouth-piecey confines the draft through the `cigarette even though the wrapper is not in tight sealing contact with the inner surface ofthe tubular holder 2 3,Y and also in cases Wherethe joint between the mouth piece and tubular holder is' not air tight. In this as well as inthe other modifications described it is desirable that the Ventilating apertures be quite small and in closely spaced relation in order to prevent sifting of 'the ashes through the container walls during smoking of the cigarette.v

Since certain changes maybe made in the above article and ldifferent embodiments of the invention could'be made without departing -from the scope thereof, it is intended that l all matter containedl'in the above description or shown inthe accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not 1n a. limiting sense.

Itis also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A cigarette having a tubular self-sustaining covering of metal foil with perforations distributed over the surface thereof and forming the soleV wrapper for the cigarette and sealing means for said perforations.

2. A cigarette having a tubular covering of metal foil with perforations distributed over the surface thereof. and a heat removable coating of a sealing substance for said perforations.

3. A cigarette having a tubular covering of aluminum foil with perforations distributed over the surface thereof and a coating of starch paste over a surface of the tubular covering, providing a seal for the perfora tions, removable by action of heat in the vicinity of the burning part of the cigarette so as to open the perforations to circulation of air.

4. A cigarette havin atubular coverin of metal foil with per orations distribute over the surface thereof and forming the sole wrapper for the cigarette and a heat removable sealing layer in contact. with the inner surface of the covering for sealing the perforations.

5. A tubular cigarette enclosure of a material sufficiently resistant to combustion to prevent destructive burning when the ci arette is smoked and having perforations istributed over the surface thereof and a coat- 20 ing of sealing paste on the inner surface of the enclosure providing a seal for the perforations removable by action of heat in the vicinity of the burning part'of the cigarette to open the perforations to circulation of air. 25 6. A tubular cigarette enclosure of a material sufficiently resistant to combustion to prevent destructive action due to the heat of the cigarette when being smoked and having' perforations distributed over the surface 3g thereof so that-the perforations lie in juxtaposition to the burning part of the cigarette during different stages of 'consumption' and a heat removable coating sealing said perforations. v

35 7. A cigarette having a tubular self-sustaining metallic covering suiliciently resistant to the heat of the burning cigarette to prevent destructive action thereon by said heat, said covering being foraminous at areas thereof lving in juxtaiosition to the burning part of t e cigarette uring different stages of consumption and a heat removable coating of a sea substance for said foraminous covering.

45 In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

OTHO V. KEAN. 

